


Baker Street

by PlaguedParadox



Category: Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms, Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle
Genre: Alternate Universe, Decedent Characters, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-03
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-07-06 08:22:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 9,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15882237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PlaguedParadox/pseuds/PlaguedParadox
Summary: Sherlock J. Holmes is the descendant of William S.S. Holmes, otherwise known as The Sherlock Holmes. A man that has had books, shows and movies made from his adventures with his companion, well they’re adapted from a man’s interpretation of the events. Stuck in his predecessor's shadow, self-doubt and depression consumes him.Spurred on to help his little brother, Mycroft H. Holmes seeks out Lillian Carter, the woman who saved him, to become his brother’s caretaker and roommate.





	1. A Job Offer

Ashamed. He was ashamed of himself. He couldn’t meet everyone’s expectations. He couldn’t be the man they wanted him to be. He couldn’t be like the man he was named after, he was forever stuck in his great shadow and he hated it. Anyone could see that. Everyone could see that. However, most chose not to act. His brother was different in this regard, his brother was Mycroft Holmes but he preferred Myc. Much to their father’s annoyance.   
  
Myc followed in his name sake’s path, just like his brother did. He was a part of the British Government, which he didn’t mind being busy but all the paperwork got boring after a while. He sighed and looked down at the piles of paper in front of him. He was almost glaring at the sheets that he stared at. He was interrupted from his starring by someone clearing their throat. Myc glanced up at the new person in his office to see that there stood a woman that he deemed to be his best friend, he gave her a small smile before leaning back in his chair.   
  
“You’re early.” He said after glancing at his watch. “An hour early. How typical of you. Maybe I should give you a delayed deadline so you arrive on time.” He gave a smug smirk. Knowing her she’d probably arrive two hours early just to spite him if he did that. He watched as she chuckled to herself and shook her head. He looked over his friend, Lillian Carter was a curvy, light-haired and fair woman with stunning dark blue eyes that had flecks of green, she wore what he deemed to be her own version of combat gear. Her light freckles went from cheek to cheek, something she disliked and tried to cover up but he always thought that that feature of hers was cute.   
  
“Myc, why’d you call me? You didn’t get yourself in trouble again, did you?” She asked, worry lacing her Irish accented voice. It was understandable for her to worry, she was usually the one to end the conflicts he got himself in, she was one of his bodyguards at times. He shook his head to which she tilted her head in confusion.  
  
“I have a job for you. It’s of utmost importance and it is highly classified. You must not gain any emotional ties to the man in question as it will cloud your judgement of his safety and wellbeing. The job I have for you is to be the caretaker to my brother.” He finished briefing her. He tried to sound formal and threatening but he knew she would see through it and hear the worried tone in his voice.  
  
“Sherlock? You want me to care for Sherlock?” His friend asked, to which he nodded.  
  
The atmosphere became more depressing, well to Mycroft at least.“He’s not been taking care of himself. He’s too worried about becoming a world-famous detective like our ancestor. It’s hurting me to see him like that.” He explained to the shorter friend. His face was sullen at the thought of his younger brother.  
  
“You know he’s never met me, right? He might not even speak to me.” She countered, not believing that Myc’s plan could work.   
  
“That’s why he’ll be forced to get to meet you, I’ve discussed you taking residence in 221B with Sherlock’s landlord Terry Hudson. He’s quite happy with you becoming Sherlock’s roommate. He thinks it’s a brilliant idea, in fact.” Mycroft replied with a sigh but he smirked at the end, knowing that she had no reason to say no to him. He was definitely sly.   
  
She sighed and agreed to the job, not that she had to do it verbally, she struggled to refuse Myc anything. She cared too much for him, now don’t get it wrong, she wasn’t in love with him, they were just very close.


	2. The Famous Flat

Lillian, due to being Mycroft’s friend and a history professor, knew about the original Sherlock Holmes who lived at 221B. She knew his first name was William, she knew that he had left the flat for his family which the Hudson’s agreed. She knew that Sherlock would be William’s heir considering Myc wanted nothing to do with being a Holmes. He kept the name but wanted nothing of the inheritance that being William’s heir would bring.  
  
Baker Street was quieter than Lillian expected as she came to a stop outside of her destination. She looked up at the building she stood in front of, it just looked like a normal building for the area so she saw no reason to comment on it. The only thing she took note of was the curtains of one of the upper windows was pushed back as if to allow someone to look at the passers-by. She was curious as to why her friend’s brother needed a babysitter, no wait, caretaker. She knocked on the black painted door which stated the building’s number, it only took a few minutes before someone opened the door. He was a young man, kind looking and a bit chubby which just added more to the kind look. The man in front of her seemed quite tired, perhaps due to her new roommate. She couldn’t wait to find out.   
  
“Terry Hudson?” She questions out loud to which he gives a happy nod and opens the door further to let her in. He had a kind smile on the whole time. She stepped in and looked around, the main landing was light in colour and it made the area seem larger than it really was, in front of her was a set of stairs and there was a room to either side of her. “I’m Lily. Myc sent me over.” She was going to continue but the knowing smile on his face explained she didn’t need to. Perhaps it was best she didn’t explain, in case her mission overheard and made a judgement based on it.  
  
“The flat is the first door up the stairs, your room is a bit up the stairs from that. Myc, being the gentleman he is, has already had your things sent up ahead of you.” Terry explained as he gestured upstairs. He looked up as he explained to see a mess of hair and glaring, tired eyes staring down at them. “Sherlock Holmes, you stop that glare right now and come introduce yourself to your new roommate! She’s paying half the rent so the least you can do is welcome her!” He scolded, somehow sounding older than he really was.  
  
“I wasn’t aware that there was rent, Myc isn’t too great at remembering small details he personally doesn’t need to know.” She mumbled to herself, unfortunately, Terry overheard and explained that despite the agreement between the two families, William had stated that those staying must pay rent, as a way to thank the Hudsons. She made sure to remember this little fact, she could be replaced for this task and if she explained this to the next person it would save Terry the trouble.   
  
The younger Holmes brother made his way down the stairs, visibly exhausted as he does so. Lillian felt sorry for the man, he clearly was overworking himself. His eyes scanned her, he was trying to deduce her. His eyes narrowed slightly as they met her own.   
  
“Why are you here?” Sherlock asked rudely. “Why would you willingly move in with a stranger without even viewing where you’re going to live? You don’t even have any suitcases.” He practically snarled out. Lillian looked towards Terry to see him shaking his head at the taller man’s behaviour. Sherlock kept his focus on the woman, he was frustrated that he couldn’t deduce much from her but that was because his exhaustion was too much for his mind. Nevertheless, he refused to sleep, not until he finished the case he was on.   
  
“Sherlock, I told you before, she visited the building while you were out. And she had her stuff moved into her room last night. You really should listen.” Terry scolded the taller man. He had lied to make sure she didn’t need to come up with an excuse. “Honestly, to think we’re roughly the same age yet you still act like a child.” The shorter man sighed and walked off to his flat. Sherlock huffed in response and continued his glare on the female he now had to share a flat with.   
  
An awkward yet hostile silence filled the air, and surprisingly both of the people involved hated it. Lillian looked away and began to look at the old art that hung on the walls. She wasn’t comfortable being stared at by a man who clearly has taken a disliking to her. She edged her way around him without looking at him and once she had gotten past him she sprinted up the stairs, she went passed the initial door and up to her supposed room.


	3. First Night at 221B

She locked the door behind her and leaned her back against it. She glanced around at the room around her, the room hadn’t been lived in years but it had recently been redecorated, possibly upon Myc’s request, due to the smell of still fresh paint. She felt the wall beside her, luckily it was dry. She sighed and stepped away from the door and took a look around once again. A lot of the original furniture was still in place, possibly just polished to keep the shine to it. There was a single bed in the middle near the back wall and a bedside table next to it, Lillian smiled when she noticed a picture of her and Myc from when they first became friends, Mycroft had grown attached to the image and she couldn’t blame him as she was attached to it herself.  
  
The flat grew quiet, apart from the stomping feet of a tired Sherlock. Lillian felt as if she needed to collect her thoughts so she sat down on the bed and sighed to herself. Her first day on her mission and she was already disliked. Not that it was going to be a problem, she just felt it would be easier if the man she had to look after liked her or even had no opinion of her.   
  
Lillian had no idea how long she sat there, lost in her own thoughts until someone knocked rather harshly on her door. Her head snapped up at the sound of the knocking and then glanced at the clock that was placed near the picture. It was almost midnight. She could tell that whoever was knocking was becoming impatient as the knocking became harsher. Lillian made her way towards the door. Almost as soon as she unlocked the door it swung open to reveal her new roommate, looking as tired as when she first saw him.  
  
The silence wasn’t as hostile as it was earlier but it was still awkward. Sherlock’s eyes went over her just as they did earlier but this time his eyebrow raised. “You haven’t changed clothes which means you haven’t slept. Good, come down to the living room, we have things we need to discuss.” He said before making his way down the stairs, Lily followed suit trying to match his fast pace. When she had reached the living room Sherlock was already sitting down on a chair that seemed like it had seen better days. Compared to Lily’s room, this room was very modern, it almost reflected the BBC’s interpretation of the famous flat but it had more mess and a work table by the window that was lined with chemistry equipment. Sherlock motioned towards the seemingly barely used sofa, Lily quickly moved to sit down on it as she didn’t want the irritate the sleep-deprived man. “Now, Terry has informed me that it’s appropriate to make proper introductions, names, brief histories that sort of thing. You start.” He was rather blunt in his approach but he was tired.  
  
“Um… I’m Lillian Alma Carter but you can call me Lily, I’m 25 and from Dublin. I’m a history professor. I’m an only child. I’ve never met any members of my family apart from my mother and father. My hair is naturally black. I play the violin. I have no negative habits such as drinking alcohol or smoking. I personally have no religious beliefs and I will only be an arse to you if you’re an arse to me.” Lily listed off facts about herself rapidly, her accent growing in intensity as she spoke.   
  
Sherlock blinked in surprise from her willingness to comply. He cleared his throat slightly before introducing himself. “My name is Sherlock John Holmes, please avoid shortening my name but if we end up in a situation where using my first name is a bad idea resort to calling me, John. I’m 26. I was born in London. I’m a consulting detective. I’m the youngest of two brothers but I’m also the smartest. I’m addicted to caffeine, I have been since I was 11. I also play the violin much to Terry’s displeasure, I tend to play it when I’m in a foul mood.” Sherlock listed off facts about himself in a bored manner, he hated talking about himself. He was always worried that someone would just draw comparisons between him and his namesake.   
  
He glanced over at the Irish woman to find her smiling gently at him, the thought that she might be pitying him in some way annoyed him greatly. But as soon he realised she wasn’t pitying him and his tired state was making him think irrationally. A yawn sounded throughout the room, it was Sherlock’s.   
  
He was exhausted.  
  
Lillian knew he’d hate her for what she was about to do but her job came before his feelings. She walked over to him, gripped the light blue sleeve of his shirt and pulled. He tried to stop her but he was too weak from exhaustion and just gave up. Lily continued to pull at his sleeve until he was on his feet and then proceeded to guide him to what she assumed was his room which was near the kitchen. The small Irish girl then laid the taller Englishman onto his barely used bed, all she had to do was wait a moment before he fell asleep.   
  
As the sounds of a deep voice snoring made its way throughout the flat, Lily made her way out of the room. She turned slightly to look at the exhausted man. A small smile crossed her face. “Goodnight, Sherlock Holmes.” And with that she turned off the light and left to her room, turning off more lights as she went about her way.


	4. Noughts and Crosses

The next few months for Lily were probably the hardest of her life, her roommate was an incredibly stubborn man and oh did she want to throttle him badly, but she didn't for his brother's sake. Despite the fact he practically avoided her, it still seemed as if he did things to spite her, like leaving food out for it to spoil.

That was until a few days ago.

Sherlock had been busy re-calibrating his equipment as Lily was reading her book on the couch, she didn't have work that day as it was the weekend. Her favourite time of the week, as much as she loved her job she did enjoy getting away from the noisier and less interested students which made her lectures harder. The male roommate suddenly stood up, his wooden chair falling to the floor with a loud BANG! causing the Irish woman to jump in shock. 

Sherlock rushed to the kitchen looking as if he was about to throw up. Lily's eyes followed his movements as he threw the fridge door open and pulled out a container of ham sandwiches which Terry had made the previous day for the older two to eat while he was at his office job. The skinny man was barely able to eat half of a single sandwich before his shrunken stomach began to complain. He made his way back to his worktable, lifting the chair off of the floor and sitting on it, he looked so guilty. He had left the food on the side to remind him of what he wasn't able to consume, a reminder of what he had done to himself.

That's when she realised how bad he was mistreating himself because of his failures.

She had seen Sherlock go on case after case just to come home looking worse than he did before, it was obvious to her that he hated himself but it seemed to be getting a lot worse the more she stayed there. It wasn't until that her heart started to ache at the sight that she realised that she had at least some form of attachment to the younger Holmes brother. Unsure of what to do she decided to take the childish route about it and pulled out a pad of sticky notes, she made a crude grid before marking one of the boxes which a cross, to show her move in the game. Considering how often Sherlock spent at his worktable she decided to leave it in the middle of the open area that wasn't covered with equipment, odd substances or the notes that to her seemed all over the place and she was a professor. 

When she arrived home from the university she glanced at the worktable to see that the sticky note had missing, dejected at the fact that he had probably thrown it away. She followed the routine of her workdays and went to the kitchen to grab something to eat as she had a habit of missing lunch to deal with paperwork. Her eyes lit up as she noticed a yellow sticky note placed on the fridge she was about to open. There was the crude grid, her cross marked in black and a new marking, a nought in red ink. 'The game is on.' She thought to herself, a slight smile curved her lips. She proceeded to pull out her fountain pen and placed a cross in another square before placing the note on his violin.

And for the rest of the year, that's how they interacted. Noughts and Crosses. Every time they had finished a game, the winner would keep the sticky note and Lily would draw out a new grid and place it on Sherlock's worktable. But despite the games, he avoided her. Only Terry noticed how Sherlock's eyes lit up with each new turn, how a smile seemed to grow on his lips with each new day. The young Hudson's friend was getting better but Terry felt a little guilty at the fact he was the one seeing all the changes in the Holmes brother's behaviour so when he got the chance, he did something.

He locked them in the storage closet.


	5. Stuck Together

To say that this was the oddest situation that's happened to Lillian, in her opinion, would be a lie. Being friends with an influential government official lead to some really odd events. But she certainly wouldn't expect a kind man such as Terry would lock her in a closet with a roommate who actively avoided her. The air around them felt thick with dust, it made her throat seem as if it was clogged with mucus and it made it hard to breathe but she kept her almost heaving breaths quiet as she looked up at the tall man stuck beside her.

It was clear that neither of them knew what to do in such a situation, but something looked off with Sherlock as Lily gazed at his face. She wasn't sure if the lack of lighting was making her see wrong but it almost seemed as if there was a tinge of colour to his face which would suggest that he was blushing, with no real reason to think otherwise Lily just assumed it was because of the lack of space which pressed their bodies together. It was quite possible that she was blushing too.

Sherlock shifted uncomfortably at the close proximity to the Irish woman, he never knew what to say to her so he avoided her. Granted their little rivalry over a childish game cheered him up greatly, he wanted more to talk about than noughts and crosses. "So... Um... H-How are you?" He stuttered out, mentally cursing at himself for being so nervous. 'That's not what he would do!' He shouted inwardly to himself.

"Oh, I'm fine. Been living with a man that's been avoiding me for a year and I'm a young university professor so I'm constantly doubted but I'm fine." Her mouth oozed out sass and he strangely enjoyed it. Sherlock's steel blue eyes narrowed at hearing that people doubted such an intelligent young woman. He didn't think they'd have that in common, being doubted was awful but at least she didn't doubt herself.

They wrapped their arms around themselves to attempt to separate their bodies a bit more but their backs were already flat against the wall and the door. 

"I'm sorry..." Sherlock weakly voiced. He was far too emotional for confrontations he realised as he began to tear up, he began to despair at how lonely and unwelcome his favourite fake blonde must have felt over the past year. Oh, how he hated his emotions, how he hated himself. He was never good enough. The young man desperately tried to be like his namesake, they were related, after all, it only made sense, but he seemed to be failing at every turn. His deductions took too long or weren't remotely right, he was a laughing stock at the Yard, he didn't have a secret network to back him up as no one took him seriously, his forensic skills were lacking to the point that no one would believe that he had a degree in forensic science. The tall man could barely contain his sobs as he lamented over all his shortcomings. 

Shock, that's all that Lillian could feel, she wanted to wrap her arms around him and never let go. If the space was larger she would have leapt at him as she pulled him into a hug, pushed his head into her shoulder as she placed one hand at the back of his head and the other around his waist. 

The track of time was soon lost as the unusual duo held each other. The heavy air stopped choking them and began to hug them as a comforting aura filled the room. 

It didn't take a genius to deduce the cause of Sherlock's self-hatred. Lillian reflected back on all the times he flinched as Terry told some tales that he heard about the old Sherlock Holmes, the one from the Victorian Era. She sucked in a breath as she contemplated over what she was going to say. "You don't need to be him to be great." Tension started to coat the air as the taller of the duo stiffened. "I want to see Sherlock Holmes, not William Holmes. I'm sure he'd tell you to stop pretending to be something you're not because it's not worth it. You're just hurting yourself and for the life of me, I can't see why..." The Irish accident thickened as the tension thinned and shoulders were put to ease. "You're Sherlock, not William."

"But-" His weak voice was quickly cut off.

"Please... I want to see who you really are. Don't take cases because you're trying to prove you're as good as him, prove that you're better! That your human emotions give you an advantage with people!" Her voice cracked as she began to tear up, she longed to see what his smile was like, to hear his laugh. Myc's rule of her mission was broken but she didn't care, she grew to care about the man she held. She had heard so much about what he was like as a child, his ambition, his playfulness, how he was prone to laughter... she was determined to bring that side of him back.

The skinny arms around her quickly became like a vice grip. The curly haired man leaned his head back to have a good look at the woman in front of him. His tear stained cheeks were now redder than before due to his sobs. His exhaustion coated bloodshot eyes glanced over her face, taking in each detail, from her freckles to her teal eyes that had recently begun to haunt his sleep. He couldn't explain it but he felt determined to impress her.

The woman in fronted of him wanted to see Sherlock J. Holmes at his finest and she was going to get to see him at his best. He wanted to prove to her that all the stories she had heard of his ancestor were nothing compared to what he could do.

He began to reflect on his positives as a starting point. His chemistry and biology knowledge was second to none, his ability to communicate with others was superior when compared to his namesake. He could outrun any of the Yard in a footrace even if he was exhausted. And so what if he needed to brush up on his forensics and deduction skills, he had a professor who could get him all the necessary materials he needs to practice.

The taller of the duo pressed the smaller one's head into his chest as he smirked to himself as he thought of what he was going to do.

He spent so much time thinking he didn't even notice the closet door open.

Or that he began to fall backwards.


	6. In the Mind of a Holmes

It didn't take Sherlock long to realise that he had fallen hard and fast for his roommate. He fell from the many side glances, the brief conversations, the look of her cosying up in her chair next to the fire as the colder weather hit. Every time their skin touched sent shivers down his spine and caused his heart to skip a beat. Any other guy his age wouldn't blame him for liking her. She was very attractive, she was smart and entertaining, she made him want to do better. He wanted to come home after solving a case and see her proud face beam at him as she welcomed him back. The self-hating man wanted nothing more than for her to love him. 

And now, as he lay there on the hallway floor, his favourite person laying on top of him with her head laying comfortably on his chest, he couldn't feel any happier. That was a lie, he could of, they could be in a relationship. They had known each other for a year now and he wished she liked the flat enough to stay for longer. 

Sherlock glanced down at the girl laying on his chest to find her with a bright red face, his own blush seemed to grow when he noticed hers. He cleared his throat and shifted slightly, the wooden floor causing his back to ache. A moment later Lillian lifted herself off of him and sprinted off to her room. 

The detective groaned and covered his face with his palms after watching the woman he adored run away from him.

"Goddammit, Sherl... Why can't you just tell her...?" He scolded himself, it was at times like this he wondered what his namesake would do, not in the typical way which would end up with Sherlock hating himself more. He was just curious as to what William was like in normal situations, he obviously ended up with a child at some point for Sherlock to even exist so how did he handle women if he was famed for being so emotionally cold. 

He was so busy caught in his thoughts that he didn't notice his landlord walk over and stand over him. 

Terry was confused, to say the least, he was used to Sherlock doing a lot of random things but lying on the floor with a blush on his face was something he didn't expect. He would usually leave Sherlock to do whatever he was doing but he was well aware that a wooden floor was extremely uncomfortable from the one time Sherlock borrowed his kitchen and accidentally set his flat on fire. It took him weeks to find decent replacements for all his poor burnt furniture. 

"Sherlock, I'm not sure if this is one of your experiments but that can't be very comfortable mate." A gentle smile was placed on his lips as he saw the taller and older man glance up at him.

Sherlock blinked rapidly as he took notice of his first friend standing over him. He quickly made his way up, his mess of curls bouncing along the way. "It wasn't an experiment. Also, I think Lillian and I accidentally broke the closet door. Sorry." His mouth fired out words faster than normal. To say that he was flustered would be an understatement. Shortly after he wondered about his namesake his thoughts drifted to Lily as they typically did and then they quickly went in a not so innocent direction that he wasn't used to. He mentally scolded himself as he watched his landlord rant and rave about Sherlock's apparent ability to break everything and anything. 

The taller man quickly made his way to his flat when he noticed Terry storm off in a huff. He felt glad that the young Hudson's temperament was a lot better compared to when they were kids. Apparently, anger problems ran through his mother's blood, which made Sherlock end up bleeding a lot and Myc keeping Terry at a distance with an umbrella.   
The younger Holmes chuckled to himself as he thought about the past but in his opinion, as he looked at the bright yellow sticky note which was stuck to his violin with a crude grid and a cross in black ink marking Lily's move, the future looked so much better to him. He couldn't wait to know if she loved him too.

But for now, he just needed to prove himself as a detective to her.


	7. The Librarian

Ask Sherlock at any point in his time knowing Lily about who she'd have flirting with her and he'd probably just jokingly suggest fellow professors and a few students. All the while hoping that no one actually flirted with her so he'd have the chance. So when he saw a conventionally attractive librarian flirt with his roommate, his heart sank. He's seen them talk before but he was never around long enough to see the man flirt with his favourite person.

  
The librarian was a fairly tall man, with dark red hair and green eyes, as well as some freckles. His name was Breandan Brooks, or Bre as Lily grew to call him, he'd been working at her favourite library for a good few years now and they became good friends in that time. He was her second closest friend but he always acted as if he wanted more than just friendship, and there was something about the constant flirting that rubbed her up the wrong way but she just ignored it.

  
"So what really brings you here today, Lil?" Bre's delicate Irish accent fluttered out of his mouth, a smile always on his face. Lillian glanced back at the poster that hung on the wall, it was for a book reading that day, her favourite actors would be there reading out possibly some of her favourite work and she was really excited for it. "Oh, that little thing? Didn't realise you were into... whatshisname? I personally don't like book readings..." Lily sighed as she heard his opinion, one thing she hated about him was that he always made everything about himself.

  
The teal eyed girl glanced towards the door when she noticed a figure standing there, upon noticing Sherlock she waved him over, happy to see her roommate breaking his routine. Sherlock practically skipped over when he saw how happy she was to see him, but he kept his pace to a casual walk. Once he was by her side, he subtly placed his arm around her waist as if to give her a side hug. The taller of the duo looked at the poster his beloved was just glancing at, he wasn't impressed with the lineup but there could have been worse choices.

  
Sherlock cleared his throat nervously as he glanced down at Lily, her teal eyes looking back up at him. He gave a weak smile before clearing his throat again. "Um... W-would you like me to accompany you to the reading? Not saying you can't handle it yourself but-" He was cut off by her index finger on his lips.   
Lillian chuckled at his confused reaction but nodded happily. She let her finger fall as Sherlock glanced to the side, he examined the Irish man glaring at him and he smirked. The taller of the small group gave a large grin at the girl he held before leading her off to the area where the event was being held and sat in a seat near to the back so he wasn't seen by too many people.

  
The event came and went, as they do. But Lillian wasn't upset, she was actually really happy that she got to spend some decent time with Sherlock. Turns out several actors who played his namesake were also there and they ended up calling him to where they were to read some pieces too. He became the star of the event, reading his namesake's tales but also correcting the things that were obviously exaggerated. The only thing that really seemed to shake him was one question from an audience member:   
"If you're here, it's obvious William got with someone. What kind of woman do you think he'd of possibly been interested in?" That was something Sherlock had thought about himself pretty often. But for some reason, hearing that question out loud, especially with Lily hearing made his blush to the point his face was bright red.

  
The new star of the event didn't want to be rude so he felt as if he needed to answer. He wished he could be blunt like his namesake at times. "U-Um... I'd have to say, someone who was intelligent and assertive but knew when to back down and take things at a gentle pace, perhaps she would have been sassy too? I'm not entirely sure. Um... But I have a feeling he'd fall for someone like the woman I've fallen fo-" He was grateful when the crowd became louder than him, cutting him off. Despite his antisocial behaviour he wanted his confession to Lily to be something special. If his face wasn't red enough before it certainly was at that point.

  
Quiet. That's how the streets were as the pair walked back to Baker Street. Well, as quiet as London could get. What Sherlock said had definitely stuck with Lillian and it made her curiosity almost burst at the seams.

  
"So... Who have you fallen for?" Lily asked, stopping in front of the door which leads to 221. It seemed like an appropriate move because Sherlock looked as if he was about to run as soon as he heard her ask that.

  
Sherlock took a step back and considered his options with this woman. He could either tell her while he's not sure how she feels about him and risk rejection and her leaving his side for good, push her out of the way and leg it to his room but that would risk hurting her and possibly cause her to think he doesn't like her again or he could lie to her face which as something he really didn't want to do. He glanced up at the building knowing he could scale it but he was worried someone would see and call the police, mistaking him for a burglar. With a sigh, he looked at her rather defeated.

  
His mind was made up.

  
"Lily I-"


	8. In the Dark

It seemed like something was smiling down at him as the Irish woman was distracted by their landlord coming outside and asking them if they wanted anything for dinner. Sherlock gave the smaller man a silent thank you as he rushed up to the comfort of his room. Luckily Lily had stepped to the side to talk to Terry so he didn't have to worry about knocking into her.

  
Sherlock had never had an experience with women outside of his family, not really. Sure he worked with female officers and clients and gone up against female criminals but that wasn't anything meaningful. So while his feelings for Lillian were strong, he was practically ready to marry the woman, he didn't want to risk his friendship with her especially since it had just started. He wasn't even sure if it was a friendship but he was hopeful.

  
The pair left by the front door were shocked, to say the least as Sherlock rushed passed them. Terry chalked it up to his antisocial nature finally getting the better of him. Lily wasn't convinced. She was still very curious about the apparently antisocial man who had fallen in love with a girl she had never seen nor met. If she were to guess, she'd say it was probably a police officer or a client he had met. Something cliched for his line of work.

  
The woman felt her heart sink at the idea of him being romantically involved with another woman, she wasn't entirely sure why so she just pinned it on the fact that she spent a year just getting him to like her and this person, who could have possibly known him for a lot less time, had gotten him to fall for them. The whole thing irritated her.

  
Meanwhile, in a darker part of the city, where crime was more common even if it was hidden from the rest of the world. A figured dressed in an expensive black suit made his way towards his office. He would have typically taken a car but he wouldn't want to wreck it out of temper. A failure of a detective put his hands on the woman he loved. It infuriated him, made him want to kidnap the detective, torture him, turn him into shoes so he could always walk all over the man who thought he was good enough to look at his angel let alone touch her.

  
The dark red-haired male stopped outside the building his office was situated in and looked up at it. He wondered what his darling would think if she found out about his actual job. Currently, she would hate him, call him a monster. But in the future, he hoped she would join him in his empire. Be his queen. It was only right for her to go down such a dark path. It was in her blood.

  
Briskly walking into his office, he continued to think about the object of his affections. He had adored her as long as he had known about her, which was practically his whole life. As an orphan he had no family to call his own, no legacy to obtain and add to. But his darling angel, she had one of the best legacies that anyone could have yet she was cruelly hidden from it by her mother. If she let her hair go back to its original state, she'd look a lot more like the man who's legacy she was the heir to.

  
Realising that he had to stop thinking about his love and focus on clients, he plonked down on his chair and let it turn him to face his desk. The man smirked to himself. Vowing to himself the same vow he had been saying most of his criminal life, that Lillian Carter would be his.

  
Back at Baker Street Lillian had finished up her conversation with the young landlord and proceeded to make her way up to the flat she called him. Despite the fact she had broken the rule of her mission, she hoped that Myc wouldn't find out, and if he did she hoped he was kind enough to let her say. She understood why she had that rule, her feelings for Sherlock would let him get away with a lot more than if she was cold towards him, but in her eyes, she saw her feelings for him as a good thing, they compelled her to help him.  
And even if she was sent away, she was still going to help him. Because she adored his smile.


	9. The Professor

A few months had passed by since Lillian had found out her roommate was in love, but she had yet to find out who the object of his affections was. Not that she had any time to look into the matter as her work began taking priority. Her work as a professor was time-consuming as one would expect, usually more full of lesson planning and work marking than actual lessons.

  
She wasn't complaining though, she was well aware of how much work would be required to do when she was training as a teacher. Luckily the lesson planning was fairly easy, she had a habit of planning most of her lessons on free weekends or during the holidays.   
Lillian was always an overachiever, in school, her classmates would put her down for it but after her mother gave them a firm talking to, and perhaps some religious intimidation, they stopped. She was overqualified but she didn't feel like she was. She loved to learn and to teach, to inspire young minds and help them better themselves. She was a professor and she loved it.

  
The young Irishwoman looked out of her office window to see the university campus and watched the students rush around to get to their lectures. With a chuckle, she turned her head to face her work once again. She had no lectures for a few hours so she had some time to get some of her students' work marked and sent back for revision.

  
Lily would like to believe she was dedicated to her work, but she wouldn't say she was the most dedicated. The most dedicated would have to be her teachers. She was not a well-behaved child, rather the opposite despite the fact she was a different person then and now compared to when she was a young child. Her childhood days were something she detested to remember, simply because of her own behaviour.

  
Lillian Alma Carter was considered a psychopathic child since the age of 4, not caring about who got hurt as long as she got her way but also hurting people simply because she got bored, she was considered too dangerous to even go to school at one point. Her anger issues were also a huge problem for her. After years of psychotherapy and medication, she calmed down quite a bit, adopting her father's mannerisms and view on life and ignoring her mother's more extreme methods of protecting her. She was allowed to start going to a private school when she was 10 and was determined to prove those who said she'd never change wrong.

  
Her father always said she had a big heart, but it was her mother's extreme behaviours that would influence her to act out. Which was true, as a young child she aspired to be as strong as her mother, she idolised her mother. Now she preferred her father, a calm man who always abides by the law. Lily's family from his side were all sweethearts from sweet, old, caring ladies to gentle giant men. Though she hardly ever saw them as they all lived in America, where her father is from.

  
Her mother was from Ireland, like Lily. But Lillian was never allowed to meet her mother's family, she didn't even know her mother's maiden name. The girl had been reliably told by both her parents that apathy and manipulation were the main traits that fuelled that family and that while her mother's actions were considered horrendous but her family acted more severely.

  
All Lillian really knew was that as soon as her grandfather saw her he proclaimed that she would become his protégé and heir to the family legacy and business. That news terrified her mother so she ran away from the family, under the protection of the Carter family who was either in law enforcement or lawyers. Lillian was always protected if her family was around.

  
From her psychopathic childhood to her calm, kind nature now, she always thought something was missing but never knew what. She figured it would be something to do with the fact she never knew her family completely.

  
A sigh left her lips as she glared at the paperwork that seemed to mock her. She had so much to do, plenty of work from multiple classes. Why she set them a 6-page essay on the dark parts of the history of Ireland, Scotland and England she had no idea, she thought it would keep them busy for a while but as always they were eager to impress their professor.

  
Knock knock knock. The sound jolted her away from her thoughts, she called out for them to enter as she quickly sorted things out so she didn't seem as messy, she had a professional air to keep up. Several of her students walked in either asking for help or asking to get their essay back for correction.

  
Lily let out another sigh. She had a feeling this was going to be a long day.


	10. The Detective

Sherlock Holmes, a rather self-loathing man who was caught in his ancestor's rather large shadow. Even his brother fell under the same shadow, not that he let if ever bother him. Myc had spent so much time as a child being asked silly questions about his family that it didn't bother him. Sherlock was sheltered from that. Their mother was far too protective of him so barely let him out and just let him play with Terry and Mycroft so his childhood wasn't too stunted. Sherlock's father tried his hardest to change her mind but the Holmes's were a stubborn bunch, whether born into the family or not.

He figured it was just something that his family had a thing for, a weird coincidence as the Holmes males, there was almost always males, searching for love. As he grew older he swore it was done on purpose, but as he looked at his mother and father to see them hopelessly in love, he could only hope that someday he could find someone he found that special. 

Truth be told, Sherlock was a hopeless romantic. He always adored the idea of being a gentlemanly prince to someone who he could treat like a princess but as the pressure of his ancestor's shadow consumed him he locked those dreams away so he could focus on schoolwork. He only started to go back to that after he fell in love with a girl from his school. 

He loved the contrast of her jet black hair and her bright blue eyes that held a lot of mystery to them. 

He could still remember his first love's lilt as she spoke, something that always made him pay attention to her, no matter how mundane the topic was. 

Lily reminded him of her. Perhaps that was what sparked his initial feelings for her but Lily herself made his own feelings so much more.

A dreamy sigh left the loved-up detective's lips as he leaned against his hand which was propped up by the cab's window. He had a case, a rather simple one compared to what he used to force himself on but he wanted to build up his confidence as well as other's confidence in him. It was actually working for the most part, he still got called the occasional name but he wasn't as affected as he used to be. 

Sherlock broke his train of thought as he noticed the cab pull up to the crime scene's address. He thanked the cabby and paid them and included a tip as he hopped out of the car. His trench coat followed him like a breeze as he walked briskly into the home in which the victim was found. 

Barely ten minutes went by before he had solved the case and left the scene with a jump in his step. He had impressed some more officers and even got a few compliments so he was more than pleased with himself. Sherlock was well aware that Lillian was busy with work so when he went back to the flat he focused on cleaning it the way she liked it. 

When he was finished, he plopped down in his chair, a proud look on his face as all the shiny surfaces of the flat was sparkling clean and polished, the carpets hoovered and he even had time to shower and have a change of clothes before an exhausted-looking Lily walked through the door. 

"Lillian, I've solved a case with ease today!" He beamed up at her, hoping his good mood would improve hers. But his smile faltered slightly as his love gave out a weak cheer before collapsing onto the sofa. A chuckle left his lips as he heard her start to snore. Quietly he shifted off of his chair and grabbed a blanket, throwing it gently over the sleeping lady. 

After a few hours of watching her sleep and softly playing the violin, he decided he was in the mood to experiment. Knowing it wouldn't be a good idea to do it in the living room while Lily was there, he headed to Terry's flat with his chemicals instead. Sherlock worked out Terry wouldn't be home for another few hours so he felt as if he had plenty of time to do this experiments and clean up afterwards before Terry came home and yelled at him. 

Sherlock worked out wrong as Terry stepped in during the middle of an experiment that filled his flat with blue smoke. Yet another lecture from the landlord sounded out.


	11. The Criminal

Darkness fell on the city that a certain man liked to believe he owned. Bre gazed at the monitor in front of him, the image relaying his angel as she headed back to her home with the failure detective. He growled as he saw said man open the door and greet her, it didn't take the criminal long to work out how Sherlock felt but he knew that Lillian was oblivious. She was so work focused that she wasn't aware of the signs of a man's attraction towards her. That's why he focused on becoming close to her before he made his move, unlike Holmes.

  
The young criminal's knuckles turned white as he gripped harshly onto the arms of his chair, he oh so desperately wanted to rip the detective's throat out and claim his angel as his but he knew that any good predator took his time to watch his pray and wait for the opportune moment, when the pray is at their weakest and most vulnerable. And Bre was going to be the best predator he could be, anything to impress his dear Lily.

  
Leaning back into his leather chair, he let out a sigh. He knew he was being tame with his approach at this point but he didn't want to freak Lily out, he wanted her to believe him. Bre didn't want Lily to treat him like a monster.

  
A monster. Bre sneered at the thought. Ever since he removed his adoptive parent's from the equation he had been considered a monster. The only reason he was out walking the streets is that he was a child when he committed that crime. He felt as if he had to remove them so he could become Lily's king, so he could be by her side as he claimed the world as her own.

  
He was conflicted between his desires which would take time and his lack of patience. Growling in frustration he slammed his hands on his desk, making the poor assistant that sat to the side jump in shock. A chuckle left his lips as he watched them run out of the office to avoid any punishment, oh how the scared pleased him.

  
The young adult slowly got out of his chair, stretching as he did so. He had been sat down for ages, watching his dear while she worked but now she was home, his own house was beckoning him. Bre made his way over to the front of the building where a car was waiting for him, a sigh left his lips as he slipped onto the backseats, not caring to put on his seat belt. The driver took off, knowing exactly where to go and how fast to get there. If they did anything under expectation, they were going to get hurt, it was a known fact about Bre that he wasn't one to be taken lightly and he made sure his company remembered that every day that they were employed by him.

  
His home wasn't anything spectacular, it was just a small house along a small street but it was perfect for the librarian act. As he walked into the building he noticed how cold it was, his nose crinkled as the chill nipped at it. A sigh left his lips as he realised he must have left the heating off when he left, in a rather brisk walk he made his way over to the thermostat that luckily was near the front door. After it was set to the preferred temperature, he made his way to his bedroom.

  
What most people didn't know is that around Lily, he didn't really act. He couldn't help but smile when he saw her, it wasn't something he really understood but he didn't care, the smile helped with the best friend act that he had to put on, despite wishing it could be more than just that.

  
As he laid on his bed, his suit jacket and tie long forgotten on the dresser that was opposite to the comfy furniture he was on, he thought back to when he first was able to meet Lily.

  
She had just walked into the library from a hard day dealing with noisy students that he honestly had no idea how she coped with but even with that slightly stressed look on her face, she took his breath away. Bre hid behind various bookshelves as he watched her browse through the books, a nostalgic look across her face as she gazed at books she clearly read when she was younger.

  
Knocking from downstairs drew Bre out of the memory, a scowl made it's way to his face as he proceeded to storm downstairs. 

He was going to give someone hell.


End file.
